When Weitoma was about sixteen years old, he discovered that he was different from other boys. At that time, he was nearly 200 pounds but only half the height of his peers. His cousin, who was staying with them, already looked like an adult. There were always various conflicts when poor relatives from the countryside came to visit their relatively well-off cousin’s home. Weitoma took great pride in his affluent background, but as his height stagnated, that sense of privilege was gradually eroded by his tall, adult cousin.
With the onset of puberty, Weitoma began to realize that he was unattractive. His obesity made his gaze dull, and he found it difficult to concentrate. However, what troubled him the most was his height. He always hoped he would grow taller the following year, but his height remained the same, and the gap between him and his peers continued to widen.
In the year he turned eighteen, his cousin left their home to open a blacksmith shop in the city and started his own life there. To repay their kindness, his cousin would send various gifts to their family, and over the year, the gifts became increasingly extravagant. The family began to speculate whether his cousin was doing well in business or had fallen in love with some wealthy young lady.
It turned out that his cousin was indeed in a relationship, although the other party was a baker’s maid who was somewhat older and had a daughter. Nevertheless, she was quite beautiful and had some savings. One day, their family gathered for a meal with his cousin, and the maid arrived, well-dressed, accompanied by her daughter. She wore cheap perfume, which had a certain allure. Later, Weitoma would reflect that this perfume made one feel that something was beautiful yet cheap, something to be enjoyed and discarded immediately.
That night, Weitoma experienced a wet dream. From that day on, he became aware of his sexuality, while also realizing that his genitals resembled those of a baby, making him feel abnormal. This blow was even more devastating than his height; he completely fell apart. He suddenly understood that from the very beginning, he had no privilege to speak of. In his cousin’s eyes, he had always been a pathetic cripple.
Weitoma began to shut himself away, removing all the mirrors from the house, as he felt an overwhelming hatred for himself. In the following years, he became obsessed with books about sorcery, hoping to improve his body. Meanwhile, his family’s business deteriorated due to his parents’ aging. He could clearly feel from upstairs that every time his cousin visited, his voice grew louder while his parents’ voices grew weaker.
The maid’s daughter grew taller, progressing from the 9 or 10 years old she was when they first met to 13 or 14 years old a few years later. This period was crucial for girls transitioning into womanhood, and the little girl was filled with curiosity. She wondered why her cousin was always hiding in the attic.
One day, while the adults were busy chatting, the little girl sneakily went up to the attic, pushed open Weitoma’s door, and found him carving wounds into his arms. He was covered in self-inflicted scars. Curiously, the little girl approached him, and in silence, she helped bandage his wounds.
In Weitoma’s room, there were books on black magic and countless materials for dark sorcery, which deeply fascinated the little girl. She became obsessed with these curious things. Therefore, every time her cousin visited their home, the little girl would sneak upstairs. This young girl opened a window into Weitoma’s life. He spoke to her about black magic, portraying himself as a wizard, and told her that he was a prince cursed to become what he was.
Of course, a young girl’s attention is never very long-lasting, and gradually, as the little girl continued to grow, these things no longer attracted her. With the girl’s development, Weitoma also slowly noticed that she was beginning to take on feminine curves.
The visits from his niece became less frequent. One day, from the attic window, he saw his cousin bringing his niece over. He waited joyfully for her to come upstairs, but the niece ran out instead. In the twilight, he saw a tall, thin boy holding her hand and pulling her into a small alley. At the moment she entered the alley, she looked back up at the attic.
Weitoma completely broke down. He took the knife with which he had harmed himself and, for the first time in many years, went downstairs and into that alley. There, he saw his young niece with her lover, indulging in forbidden fruit, and he killed them. As the knife pierced his niece’s chest and her clothes tore open, Weitoma saw the body with mature feminine features and began to vomit violently.
Before girls grow up, they are angels. But what if they start to mature? Kill them!
A terrifying thought arose in his mind.
Afterward, Weitoma returned home and killed his parents for giving birth to such a monstrous version of himself, and he killed the maid and his cousin for making him appear so ugly and miserable. Then Weitoma fled to the countryside, blending into a stable and working as a horseshoe maker for three years.
During those three years, Weitoma miraculously began to develop. His desires grew stronger, he became taller, and his appearance changed to the point that one day, when the town police came looking for him, they overlooked him entirely because of his height. He realized he was safe because he was no longer the chubby, deformed boy who had committed murder.
However, every time he saw a young girl beginning to develop, he felt a nightmarish hatred. This hatred was inescapable, tormenting him night after night.
The owner of the stable had two daughters, and in the third year, they began to develop and exhibit feminine characteristics.
So, he killed the two little girls and escaped. He was astonished to find that every time he killed, he grew taller quickly, as if the black magic from his past was taking effect. But this time, he was not as lucky as before; he was captured in the woods and sent to prison, awaiting execution. The warden at that time was Hermann, who discovered the black magic tattoos on Weitoma’s body and the details of his crimes against the girls.
Hermann believed him to be a wizard and took him to Pli Pli State, hoping to enter the rainforest with him. Hermann was knowledgeable about the sorcery of the South Seas and needed his own wizard.
After Weitoma arrived in Perak, he realized he had come to paradise. He was captivated by a little girl with black hair from Nanjia. He told Herman that this little girl possessed magical power and could use black magic to protect them. He was so enchanted by this black-haired girl that he would recognize her again without a doubt. The girl’s death was certain, yet her reappearance felt as if she had merely fallen asleep. Could it be that the Chinese man practiced sorcery?
A person who practiced sorcery brought the corpse of Nanjia to him, and the purpose was obvious: revenge. So Weitoma returned to his tent and took out all of his firearms, loading them all.
He did not have black magic. He had heard of the formidable powers of Southeast Asian witchcraft, and at that moment, he trembled, filled with anger. He hated Herman for leaving him here, and he despised everyone who prevented him from doing as he pleased.
He glanced at the firearms in his hands when he heard a commotion outside. He did not intend to test the waters; as Zhang Haiyan opened the tent and poked his head in, about to speak, Weitoma fired.
The gun was loaded with iron shot, and in almost a quarter of a second, Zhang Haiyan, surprised, instinctively turned his head to evade the first shot. Weitoma’s second shot was fired with a swift motion of his left hand. Having just killed someone a few days ago, he seemed to possess boundless energy. This shot struck Zhang Haiyan squarely in the face, sending him flying out of the tent and crashing to the ground outside.
Weitoma dashed out and fired another shot in the direction where Zhang Haiyan had fallen, only to find that there was no one on the ground outside his tent. Suddenly, he heard a girl’s cry. Turning around, he saw Nanjia standing in the darkness, holding a grass cocoon, staring intently at him.
Weitoma raised his gun at Nanjia.
Someone behind him said, “Compared to using kindness to influence others, instilling fear to achieve one’s goals is far more efficient.” Weitoma turned around to see Zhang Haiyan crouched against a tree behind him, his face already mangled. Slowly, he began to tear off his face, revealing a grotesque visage underneath.
It turned out that his face was a mask made of human skin. Behind the human skin was another face. It was a repulsive, hideous face that represented his filthy nature, hidden beneath his everyday mask, embedded with steel plates. When his filthy face was exposed, Zhang Haiyan could freely display the grotesque side of his nature that had emerged during the famine, where people resorted to cannibalism.